Plenty to do at Strictly Sail Pacific boat show

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, April 14, 2012

Images from the Strictly Sail Pacific boat show, which run through Sunday at Jack London Square, Oakland.

Images from the Strictly Sail Pacific boat show, which run through Sunday at Jack London Square, Oakland.

Photo: Colleen Kona Kina, Sail America

Plenty to do at Strictly Sail Pacific boat show

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

"Bigger and better than ever" sounds like trite sales-speak for everything from barbecues to boat shows. But for the annual Strictly Sail Pacific boat show that opened Thursday at Oakland's Jack London Square, it doesn't begin to convey the transformation galvanized by new facilities, the stopover of the Clipper Round the World Race, and a dash of the America's Cup.

He had looked at moving the show to Southern California a few years back, but "you just can't beat the passion of Bay Area sailing." His decision to stay in Oakland has been vindicated.

Latest Living videos

Exhibitors are up some 30 percent over 2010, to more than 365. The grand centerpiece is the Jack London Market building, opened in 2010, which offers two stories of indoor exhibits and seminars overlooking the marina. That means no more exhibit tent drips and puddles during spring rains, and a dry skybridge walk from the car for the weather averse.

For those who feel the point of a boat show is slipping off shoes and dreaming of adventure aboard boat after beautiful boat, there are 85 boats on display. They range from the 50-foot Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 509 to the spritely Harbor 30, to a range of small boats including the very fast and sexy 14-foot RS 100, 2011 USA Boat of the Year.

The Discover Sailing program gets you out on the water for free, and it too has expanded.

There are complimentary 45-minute bay sails for the whole family. Kids wanting to ditch nagging parents can sign up for half-hour dockside classes aboard the Schooner Seaward and go for an afternoon sail. (Kids also get a fun zone with a climbing wall, rock slide and a bungee-supported trampoline called a bungee quad pod.)

Then there are three hands-on sailing clinics: Introduction to Sailing, Advanced Cruising and Introduction to Cruising Catamarans.

Back ashore, more than 100 free seminars offer basic to advanced tips from authors, racers, cruisers, and technical experts of all sorts.

Clipper Race stop

A transformative part of this year's show was the California stopover of the Clipper 2011-2012 Round the World Yacht Race. Organized in Britain, it's the world's longest ocean race, and one that any reasonably fit individual can join.

At a Thursday awards ceremony, the crew of Gold Coast Australia received the Strictly Sail Pacific Clipper Cup for being the first to reach the Golden Gate after a wintry heavy wind Pacific crossing from Qingdao, China, that saw injuries on some boats.

Earlier this month the race's ten 68-foot raceboats, with nearly 200 crew members, were met by friends, family and an enthusiastic welcoming committee in Oakland.

Yacht clubs and restaurants stood by at all hours to greet boats as they finished, with welcome meals and touches such as warm towels and cold beers. Local businesses such as Scott's Seafood and the Waterfront Hotel reported a big boost in sales from the stopover.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan was enthusiastic. "Oakland celebrates a long history of trade with China," she said earlier in the month. To host the stopover, "I cannot think of a more perfect location than Jack London Square, named after the author, sailor and adventurer Jack London."

The next leg: New York via Panama. Show attendees can take part in the official send-off celebration at 11 a.m. Saturday, with the race start at 2 p.m. off San Francisco's Marina Green.

America's Cup update

The America's Cup is in Naples, Italy, this week for nine teams in the America's Cup World Series exhibition racing, but the show lets fans get up close and personal.

An Oracle Racing AC 45 catamaran is on display, while the Naples races are shown in an America's Cup Lounge. Cup gear is for sale, and experts Brad Webb and Bob Billingham will share the latest developments at a Saturday seminar.

Crowds of more than 200,000 have turned out in Naples, and conditions gave a taste of San Francisco's heavy wind and large waves earlier in the week. On Thursday after four races, Emirates Team New Zealand was in first, well ahead of Oracle Racing's James Spithill in the points standing.

The two new Prada-backed Italian entries and the Korean and French teams were nipping at Spithill's heels. Live viewing and updates are available at www.americascup.com.

Short tacks

-- US Sailing named San Francisco sailor Ray Lotto as Sailor of the Week for excellence competing with his Express 27 boat, El Raton.

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.